WHERE DID APRIL FOOLS DAY COME FROM?

There are many possibilities, here are three of them:

Originally, New Year's Day was April 1. Later, when the Church changed the calendar, they also changed the date for the first of the year. However, some people continued using April 1 as the date of the new year. These people were referred to as "April Fools"

OR In the early Roman calendar, April 1 was the first day of spring, the spring equinox, and before 154 B.C. it was New Years Day. Many celebrations of many cultures observed this day as the coming of the renewal of the earth and life. There would be sacrifices and gifts given to the gods. When the Christians came into power in the Roman empire, they created a celebration we call Easter that replaced the spring rituals. The old celebrations were ridiculed and made fun of. And people who observed these celebrations were persecuted. This was a chance to make fun of those who do not follow the correct beliefs. This is were we get April Fools Day, where we can make anyone feel foolish.

OR in 1564, King Charles IX decreed that with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, New Year's be moved to January 1 from what was April 1 and those that celebrated the Old New Year's Day on April 1 were Fools.

North Americans play on this day with pranks and practical jokes. Springing tricks on family and friends, then shouting out "April Fools!" to the astonishment of the victim.

In France today, April first is called "Poisson d'Avril." French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs. When the "young fool" discovers this trick, the prankster yells "Poisson d’Avril!" (April Fish!)

Some practical jokes are kept up the whole day before the victim realizes what has happened to them. Most April Fool jokes are in good fun and not meant to harm anyone. The most clever April Fool joke is the one where everyone laughs, especially the person upon whom the joke is played.

Poovar Island Resort ( A Place worth visiting)

Poovar is a small Island located very near to capital of Kerala Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram also known as Trivandrum, was the erstwhile capital of Travancore and is the State Capital today.

Fringing the coast of Kerala and winding far inland is an intricate network of innumerable Lagoons, Lakes, Canals, Estuaries and the Deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea.

Over 900 kms of this labyrinthine water world is navigable. As characteristic of Kerala as the 600km long coastline of dazzling beaches is the dense, lush Backwaters of the state.

And while hill stations are all over the country and palm-fringed beaches too, the Backwaters are unique to Kerala. These Backwaters are both the basis of a distinct lifestyle and a fascinating thoroughfare. Travelling by boat along the Backwaters is one of the highlights of Kerala.

Poovar Island Resort, Poovar: Heaven on Earth – Unspoilt and miraculously unexplored, Poovar Island Resort is a rare find in Southern Kerala. Enveloped by the most serene backwaters and opening out to the sea and a dream golden san beach, in close proximity to Trivandrum, Poovar us truly a window into paradise.




Places Of Interest :

Ponmudi & The Cardamon Hills Ponmudi, a small hill resort just 61 km north-east of Thiruvananthapuram, makes for a pleasant day trip or overnight excursion.
On the road to Ponmudi you will pass the turn off to Neyyar Dam and the surrounding Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary.



Padmanabhapuram Palace Padmanabhapuram is just inside Tamil Nadu, 65 Km south-east of Thiruvananthapuram. The palace was once the seat of the rulers of Travancore, a princely state for more than 400 years that included a large part of present-day Kerala and the western coast of Tamil Nadu. The palace is superbly constructed of local teak & granite. The Palace is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 4.30 pm.



Connectivity :

By Air
Thiruvananthapuram has a domestic as well as an international airport with flights arriving and departing to the Gulf, Europe and the US apart from the national destinations.


By Rail

Thiruvananthapuram is an important terminus on the Indian Railways network with connections from all parts of the country. Both broad and meter gauge operate to the city.


By Road

At the junction of four national highways, No 4, 17, 45 and 47, Thiruvananthapuram is connected to all parts of the country by good all weather roads. The state's own highway network also links the city to all parts of the state.

Optical Illusions

Cricket World Cup 2007 schedule & Venue

Cricket World Cup 2007 schedule

Seeded teams: Australia (A1), South Africa (A2), Sri Lanka (B1), India (B2), New Zealand (C1), England (C2), Pakistan (D1), West Indies (D2) - top two from each group progress to Super Eight phase. MARCH --------------- Group A, St Kitts (all start 1330 GMT) 14) Australia v Scotland 16) Netherlands v South Africa 18) Australia v Netherlands 20) Scotland v South Africa 22) Netherlands v Scotland 24) Australia v South Africa Group B, Trinidad (all start 1330 GMT except *) 15) Bermuda v Sri Lanka 17) Bangladesh v India 19) Bermuda v India 21) Bangladesh v Sri Lanka 23) India v Sri Lanka 25) Bangladesh v Bermuda (*starts 1430 BST) GROUP C, St Lucia (all start 1330 GMT) 14) Canada v Kenya 16) England v New Zealand 18) Canada v England 20) Kenya v New Zealand 22) Canada v New Zealand 24) England v Kenya Group D, Jamaica (all start 1430 GMT) 13) West Indies v Pakistan 15) Ireland v Zimbabwe 17) Ireland v Pakistan 19) West Indies v Zimbabwe 21) Pakistan v Zimbabwe 23) Ireland v West Indies Super Eight (all start 1430 BST) If any seeded team does not finish in the top two in their group, the non-seeded team qualifying will take their allotted place in the Super Eight fixture list. 27) D2 v A1, Antigua & Barbuda 28) A2 v B1, Guyana 29) D2 v C1, Antigua & Barbuda 30) D1 v C2, Guyana 31) A1 v B2, Antigua & Barbuda APRIL ------------------ 1) D2 v B1, Guyana 2) B2 v C1, Antigua & Barbuda 3) D1 v A2, Guyana 4) C2 v B1, Antigua & Barbuda 7) B2 v A2, Guyana 8) A1 v C2, Antigua & Barbuda 9) D1 v C1, Guyana 10) D2 v A2, Grenada 11) C2 v B2, Barbados 12) B1 v C1, Grenada 13) A1 v D1, Barbados 14) A2 v C1, Grenada 15) B2 v D1, Barbados 16) A1 v B1, Grenada 17) A2 v C2, Barbados 18) D1 v B1, Grenada 19) D2 v B2, Barbados 20) A1 v C1, Grenada 21) D2 v C2, Barbados SEMI-FINAL ---------------------- 24) Super Eight 2nd v 3rd, Jamaica (start 1545 BST) 25) Super Eight 1st v 4th, St Lucia (start 1445 BST) FINAL ---------------------- 28) Winner SF1 v Winner SF2, Barbados (start 1445 BST)

West Indies World Cup Venues Map